Nick Rout wrote:
> The public perception may also be affected by such names as "Three
> Mile Island", "Chernobyl", "Forsmark" (and there are others).
Although that's rather unfair. Three Mile Island didn't affect anyone
off-site; the containment structure and other safeguards worked. In a
way it showed how safe nuclear reactors really are; a lot went wrong and
the public was still protected.
Chernobyl had no containment structure at all, which is completely
contrary to all Western design practice since the end of WWII. It also
used an unusual reactor design known for poor power stability. (It was
actually quite a clever design in many ways, but safety was
unfortunately not one of its best design features.) It's not hyperbole
to say that the Chernobyl accident is one that could never happen here.